Trump needs to stop throwing stones at his critics

President Trump should install a new sign on his Oval Office desk, one that would remind him of the timeless wisdom in an old Arabic proverb: “The dogs bark, but the caravan moves on.”

Ideally, that message might discourage the leader of the free world from damaging his presidency by responding in kind every time some skeptic in the media, Congress or the private sector yips or snarls in his general direction.

Of course, such restraint goes against Trump’s well-advertised reputation as a fierce “counterpuncher.” Tens of millions of admirers cherish his tough-guy rhetoric in promising to “punch back 10 times harder” whenever he’s insulted.

This retaliatory reflex might have served him well as a reality TV star or even a presidential candidate, but now it only serves to diminish his stature and undermine his agenda.

If you’re counterpunching against some random detractor who’s far less prominent and powerful than you are, it’s hard to avoid looking like an arrogant bully. And when you’re president of the United States, everyone is far less prominent and powerful than you are. Even Sen. Bob Corker, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and especially a Gold Star widow.

If the heavy-weight champion of the world gets drawn into a barroom brawl with a paunchy drunk, then it’s a sure thing the champ will lose. Even if he does knock the guy out, he looks irresponsible for abusing his power with an unworthy opponent. The only proper course is to exercise self-control by walking away from provocation, with dignity intact.

Think of how profoundly the president might have benefited by reacting more appropriately to cheap-shot insults by Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Fla., who complained about his handling of a phone call to a grieving war widow. Rather than instinctively accusing Wilson of lying and deriding her as “wacky” then challenging the noble, mourning wife who supported the congresswoman’s account, Trump could have simply offered his sympathy and admiration for the sacrifices of all military families.

The president would also gain by avoiding needless spats with congressional leaders or members of his own Cabinet. Even if Rex Tillerson really did call him a “moron,” it doesn’t make the chief executive look less moronic to challenge the secretary of State to a competitive IQ test.

And while Corker had to know he was poking the bear Tuesday when he took to Twitter and TV to call Trump an “utterly untruthful” name-caller who was “debasing” the nation, imagine if Trump had risen above instead of tweeting that “liddle’ Bob Corker” was unpopular, incompetent and a lightweight. The unhinged Twitter storm made him seem weaker, not stronger.

The same dynamic applies to Trump’s ceaseless attacks on “the lying” and “dishonest” media or “fake news.” Of course, the president and his team should correct the record whenever hostile voices in the press promulgate inaccurate or distorted accounts about the administration. But countering media mistakes isn’t the same as assaulting the character of the reporters who make those mistakes.

“It’s frankly disgusting the way the press is able to write whatever they want to write,” the chief executive noted on Oct. 11.

No, Mr. President, it would be frankly disgusting if they were unable to write whatever they want. The only alternative to a news media the president frequently labels “out of control” would be a media under control. And the prospect of governmental supervision isn’t just unappealing; it’s unconstitutional.

The war against the media, like other conflicts marring Trump’s first months in office, is a war of choice, not a battle of necessity. Meanwhile, the boisterous bickering steals attention from more worthy achievements and aspirations — such as remaking our judiciary, strengthening border security, deregulating the economy, erasing the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria and, perhaps, reforming taxes. These subjects deserve constructive debate and more public attention than the petty, highly personal insults that too often obsess the president.

Sure, the dogs will continue to bark, but it’s high time that the caravan moved on. The canine cacophony might be annoying, but it’s degrading and self-defeating when the leader of the column pauses to bark back.

As Winston Churchill observed regarding the old slogan that should find its way to Trump’s desk: “You will never reach your destination if you stop and throw stones at every dog that barks.”